Pro-Bending Circuit: Stories from the Arena
by ChiChiGold
Summary: Al of the stories here are for the Pro-Bending Circuit writing competent, hosted by alyssialui. Stories will range from 'T' to 'M', and will included characters from both The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra! Please enjoy and feel free to leave comments, criticisms, etc!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So I'm back! It's been about a year since I've done anything here on this website, and I want to apologize profusely for that! However, all my actual story-stories are going to be put on hold for the time being. I entered into this writing contest, the Pro-Bending Circuit, and that's going to be taking up the majority of my time for now. It's all Avatar based, both A:TLA and LOK, and so all my entries are going to be put here!**

 **AN2: So this is my first entry in the competition. The theme for the first round was a character trying something for the first time, and how that highlights how their life is going to change. My main character is Zuko (and he will be my main character for the majority of my pieces), and the age range is Zuko (13), Azula (11), Mai/Ty Lee (12), so it takes place right before his banishment (which is important). Also, while this story was rated 'T', not all of mine will be, and some of my pics will delve into dark themes, have mature language, and maybe even smut, so there's going to be a 'M' warning posted, but not all of them will be.**

 **Word Count: 1,010**

Zuko looked warily at the three girls sitting on the floor around him, the empty bottle of firewhiskey laying menacingly in the middle. "I don't like this," he muttered, eyes cast downward and shoulders slumped.

Azula huffed in annoyance, "Come on, dumb-dumb! You're acting like a baby. We all already agreed to do it."

Azula and Ty Lee had found the empty bottle while sneaking around the palace, and had come running back to Mai and Zuko with wide grins on their small faces. That was when Ty Lee suggested playing a game that her older sisters had been constantly talking about for the past few weeks, Spin the Bottle.

"So," she had said enthusiastically, "you play by sitting in a circle, and you put the bottle in the middle, and you spin it it lands you, you have to kiss!" She fell into a fit of giggles at the end, her chubby cheeks tinting a rosy pink.

"But, we're all girls," Mai had interjected, her face expressionless, "That's weird."

"And what if I get Azula?" Zuko added, which was immediately followed by a shudder. "I'm not kissing my own sister!"

"We can just do cheeks, then," Azula scoffed, settling down beside the young acrobat. "Besides, I want to play. And as your princess, I order you to play with me."

And as the princess's words settle the matter, the remaining three had flopped down to the ground, ready to play.

Ty Lee had gone first, and when the bottle landed on Mai, she giggled gleefully before throwing herself across the circle and swiftly pecking the other girl's cheek. Max's normally pale face broke out into a bright rouge, which only made Ty Lee fall into more hysterics. Even the princess cracked a smile at Mai's show of emotion. After all, the only other time she'd seen her friend do that was when Zuko was around.

The group sat in relative silence for a few seconds until Ty Lee composed herself, stating that it was now Mai's turn to spin. The young girl hesitantly reached for the bottle, and weakly twisted her wrist, causing it to spin around. It landed on Azula, causing both Zuko and Ty Lee to laugh.

Zuko was starting to see the appeal of the game as they continued around the circle. They'd been playing for a few minutes now and not once had the bottle landed on him, much to Azula's chagrin. As the game weathered on, and she was chosen more times than she could count, she looked about ready to blow fire from her nose and stomp off.

But, the young prince's luck couldn't hold out forever. On Ty Lee's next turn, the bottle landed squarely on the prince. Zuko almost couldn't believe it!

Azula let out a triumphant laugh. "Ha, Zuzu! Now it's your turn!" Mai also looked on expectantly, hoping Zuko might refuse the game.

Zuko sheepishly looked over at the eager brunette on his right, whose grin reached from ear to ear. He gulped slightly, unsure of he was supposed to lean over to her or if he was simply supposed to sit still and let her have her way. His question, of course, was swiftly answered when Ty Lee practically pounced on Zuko, placing her lips not on his cheek, but on his lips!

Zuko was in such a state of shock, he didn't know what to do. Mai sat in a similar state; however, Azula was roaring with laughter, causing her to fall over and clutch at her stomach.

Ty Lee eventually pulled herself away from the young prince with the biggest smirk on her face, but Zuko still sat where he was, too shocked to move. It was Mai who finally had the courage to speak.

"That wasn't the rules of the game!" she cried out, standing up and placing her hands on her hips, glaring down at her so-called friend dressed in pink. Ty Lee shrugged, admittedly looking slightly ashamed by her actions.

Zuko finally came to, taking his hand and wiping his mouth. He too stood up, and also glared down at Ty Lee. "What's wrong with you?" he yelled at her, before taking off into the palace. The three girls made no move to follow him, as Mai continued to glare daggers at Ty Lee and Azula continued to roll in the grass.

Zuko ran through the halls of the palace, looking to hide anywhere that was far away from the courtyard. He wasn't paying attention to his surroundings, however, and so bumped into a figure, which left him sprawled on the floor.

"Nephew, what in Agni's name is going on?"

Zuko shook his head and looked up at the hulking form of his uncle, who looked rather worriedly down at him. Iroh offered Zuko a hand, but the young prince didn't take it, instead hoisting himself up. "Girl's are crazy!" he exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Iroh gave a small laugh at his nephew's expense. "Why don't we go drink some tea, and you tell me what happened?"

It took all of Iroh's self control to not laugh too much at his nephew's expense while he told the story. When Zuko finished recalling his tale, his uncle merely placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "My nephew, perhaps you are taking this too seriously. You are all very young, and it was just a game." He set down his tea as Zuko looked down at the ground, realizing he may in fact have over-reacted.

"Besides, now look at you!" Iroh beamed. "You've had your first kiss! You're officially on your way to manhood!"

Zuko looked up excitedly at his uncle. Perhaps he was right! In school, Zuko hadn't heard too many of the boys his age saying they'd kissed any girls yet. Zuko's mind began racing at all the possibilities now that he was getting older, becoming a man. Maybe now, his father would start letting him into the war meetings!

In fact, there was one in a week's time.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: The prompt of this round was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the extra prompts I used was laughter, the song "Somewhere I Belong" by Lincoln Park, and the quote "I don't know who I'll wake up as in the mornings."**

 **Word count: 807**

 **More to Come Later**

 _When this began, I had nothing to say_

The halls of the institution were normally never completely silent. Whether it was nervous mutterings by one inmate, or the steps and scratchings of another, one could hear something through the slate grey halls.

Until she showed up.

Now, the only sound that reverberated through the inner workings of the asylum was the deranged laughter of a fallen princess. Deep, loud, cackling laughter, that effectively silenced any other noise that dared to compete with it.

 _And I get lost in the nothingness inside my mind_

Being groomed to be the perfect princess, the perfect daughter, all Azula knew was gone. Reduced to nothing but ash, consumed by the flames of the insanity that raged through her mind.

 _And I let it all out to find_

 _That I'm not the only person with these things in min_ d

Zuko was the only one who ever came to visit her during those long days. Even her nurses felt too much fear in her presence. But not Zuko. But then again, Zuko was always weak, weak because of his love.

 _Just stuck, hollow and alone_

 _And the fault is all my own_

If she had been a better daughter, if she had been a better leader, if she had been a better fighter; it would be Zuko stuck in this cell instead of her. Or he'd be better off, dead and burned to a crisp. Even Azula would admit to death being better than the everyday torture she endured.

 _I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real_

But, as her goody-goody brother continued to visit, she began to wonder. Why did he keep coming? Was it just his guilty conscious? Or, maybe, it was something more...

She didn't think of it again until she took off on her own again, the unfamiliar face of the woman she had once called 'mother' only confirming her worst fears. Who even was she anymore? The first Fire Lord to ever be toppled from her reign. It was dream, and it was over before it had even really begun.

"I don't know who I'll wake up as in the mornings," she had admitted to Zirin, though she contributed it to her weary state as she slipped into unconsciousness. Zirin never responded, and perhaps she had drifted off to sleep before the princess's words left her cracked and dry lips. But, it did hold some truth. She had to find a new destiny, a new plan for her own life.

 _I will never be anything until I break away from me_

She thought about Zuko, about how he kept coming back to visit. And then it struck her.

If she couldn't achieve her own dream, she would mold Zuko into who she was supposed to be.

After all, he should be proud of her. She wasn't one to be very helpful. She had said it before, the divine right to rule was something you were born with. Just like her, her brother was born to be a leader. He just needed a push to realize it. And, since it wasn't pain that made him think, then she would use that bleeding heart of his to force him into action.

Their plan worked seamlessly for a while, but she was the one who slipped up. She allowed herself to use lightning against Zuko, revealing herself. She couldn't believe she had made such a rookie mistake. But, another part of her, a part buried deep down inside, wondered if maybe she had done it on purpose. Perhaps she wanted her brother to figure out her plan, fool her game.

Just like when they were kids.

When things were so simple. When she and Zuko would sit and play on Ember Island with mom and cousin Lu Ten. Even dad would sometimes join them. When they received gifts from the battlefront instead of scars and broken bones. When the courtyard was filled with laughter and the joyful noise of playing children.

Before mom left.

Before dad became Fire Lord.

Before Zuko was banished.

Before the Avatar revealed himself.

Before she was sent out to capture both the Avatar and her brother and her fuddy-duddy uncle.

Before she conquered Ba Sing Se.

Before Zuko ran away.

Before Mai and Ty Lee betrayed her.

Before she lost herself inside her mind.

 _I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real_

 _I wanna let go of the pain I've felt so long_

 _Erase all the pain till it's gone_

 _I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm close to something real_

 _I wanna find something I've wanted all along_

 _Somewhere I belong_

 _I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm_

 _somewhere I belong_

 _I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm_

 _somewhere I belong_

 _Somewhere I belong_


End file.
